Tongue-switch structure.



R. E. venom TONGUE SWITCH STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-25,191 23.

Patent-ed June 18, 1918.

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R. E. YOLTON.

TONGUE SWITCH STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-25.1918.

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Patented J 11116 18, 1918. I

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ROBERT E. YOLTOLT, OF..BIB.MINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO KILBY FROG- & SWITCH COMPANY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA.

TONGUE-SWITCH srnucronn.

Application filedlEebruary 25, 1918.

To all whomz't may concern: I

Be it known that 1, ROBERT E. YoLToN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, hav invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tongue-Switch Structures, of which the fol lowing ;is a specification.

.My invention relates to new and useful improvements in tongue switches and is designed to provide a novel mechanism for locking the heel of the switch tongues so as to hold the same securely in place in tongue switch bodies, yet which is so designed that the tongue maybe easilyremoved, if desired, from the switch body.

More particularly, the objects of my invention are to provide a tongue holding means which will prevent the tongue from 'JUIIIPHIg up as thecars pass over the swltch;

which will prevent the tongu from moving forward under the traffic; whlch Wlll permit the tongue to be easily tightened or loosened asmay become necessary from time to time; which is adapted to permit the ,ready removal of the tongue from the switch body; and which is simple in its structure, readily assembled .and so designed that liability of failure of any of its parts in service ,is minimized.

My invention further comprises the novel features of construction and arrangements of parts which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch tongue body with the switchtongue in place.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view enlarged taken on theline A-A of Fig. 1.

Fig. 81is a longitudinal sectional view onlarged taken on the line BB of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view in side elevation of the heel end of the switch tongue.

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2

. of a modification of the tongue holding device as applied to tongue switches less than six inches inheight.

Specification of Letters Patent.

vmidway of the tongue.

Patented June 1%, 1915.

Serial No. 219,165.

1 withthe switch body shown in Fig. 5 with the switch tongue removed.

disposed below the seat 3 for the heel 4 of the switch tongue 5. The heel end of the tongue is provided along its bottom surface with a lateral flange 6 which lscurved to give the heel a substantially semicircular .construction in plan, this flange being extended beyond the heel portion forwardly along the tongue on each side to form bearing flanges 7 which gradually diminish in width toward the point of the tongue and disappear about The object of this arrangement is to substantially increase the bearing surface of the tongue throughout its rear end and especially at its heel. The curved rear end of the flange 6 merges into the curved end wall 8 of the switch tongue Jro oer as will be more clearl seen in Fi 7 c b 4. The body is provided with the usual guard walls 9 and 10 and with thetreadsun faces 11 and 12, the latter of which aline with the switch tongue 5 and has its forward edge 13 curved to conform to the curvature of the rear end of the tongue heel. The base level of the flange ways Hand 15 on each side of the tread 12 are raised above the level of the tongue seat 3 approximately the thickness of the tongue flange 6 so that the top surface of the latter lies flush with the flange ways. The tongue heel seat 3 is provided with a rectangular elongated slot 16 which extends from near the tread '12 along the center line of the switch body and opens downwardly into the cavity 2. On the bottom face of the switch tongue heel, approximately in. the center thereof, is a downwardly and forwardly inclined horn 1 7 having its rear face 18 convex and its front corner edges rounded at 19. The slope of this horn and the length of the slot 16 are top surface of the tongue supporting body portion at a point substantially forward of the front end of the slot 3, thus leaving at that point an overhanging lip 21, see Fig. 3.

A malleable locking wedge 22 is placed in the cavity 2 in the switch body, being inserted through a box 23 which has a bottom opening 24 entering the upper portion of the cavity 2, This locking wedge is pro vided with a downwardly and forwardly sloping rear face 25 corresponding to the slope of the forward face of the horn 17 which it engages. The front face 26 of the wedge lies in a vertical plane which is oblique to the longitudinal center line of the edge so that it will seat against the oblique web 20. At the rear end of .the shank portion 27 of the Wedge is a head 28 carrying a depending pin 29 which is adapted to engage in the hole 30 at the inner end of the locking bar 31 which extends from the cavity 2 through the opening 24 and rests upon the floor of the box 23 with its outer end,

disposed near the outer wall of the box and upturned and slotted at 32 so that a bronze pin 33 may be dropped into this slot.

'A coil spring 34- is placed on this pin with one end resting against a bronze nut 35 which is screwed onto the threaded end of the pin. This end of the pin beyond its threaded portion is reduced and provided with a square bearing end 36 adapted to be inserted in a square hole 37 in the inner wall of the box 23. The outer rounded end of the pin can be inserted far enough into a hole 38 on the outer box wall to allow its squared end 36 to be fitted into the hole 37. When the pin has been thus placed in position crosswise of the box and through the slot 32 its coil spring 34 will engage the locking bar 31 and force the latter transversely of the switch body toward the box 23 and in doing so will draw the wedge along the oblique web 20 which shifts it rearwardly against the horn 17 which being overhung by the sloping rear face 26 serves to hold the tongue firmly to the body.

For tongue switches of less height than six inches the same general mechanism is used except that the spring is designed to push against the locking wedge instead of pulling against it, This makes it necessary that the web 39 (Fig. 8) corresponding to the web 20 (Fig. 1), shall have a reverse angular disposition and to correspond with this the malleable locking wedge 40 will have its vertical front face 41 disposed at an angle corresponding to that of the web 39. This wedge block has its rear face 42 similar to the sloping face 25 of the wedge 22. In view of the fact that the cavity 2 in the smaller switch body is shallower than in the larger switch body, the shank 43 of the locking wedge 40 preferably is disposed near its bottom and has the pin 44 upturned and adapted to be inserted in the hole 30 of a locking bar 45, similar to the bar 31 except that it is shorter. This bar has a bifurcated upturned end which receives the pin 33 which in this case is reversed to bring its squared end 36 into position to enter a hole 37 in the outer wall of the box while its rounded end is inserted in the deeper hole 38 in the inner wall of the box. The coil spring 34, interposed between the locking rod and the nut 35, acts to force the wedge 40 toward the horn 17 of the switch tongue, in doing which the wedge works against the oblique web 39 and is shifted rearwardly thereby to force the switch tongue against its rear bearing face 13 in the body while holding the tongue down by the overhang ing engagement of its sloping face 42 with the horn.

In assembling the switch using the holding device shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the looking wedge 22 is placed in the cavity 2 in the tongue switch body and the horizontal end of the locking bar 31 is inserted through the hole 24. The pin 29 of the locking wedge is inserted through the hole 30 of the locking bar which is pushed inwardly to force the locking wedge far enough back into the cavity 2 to allow the tongue horn 17 to be dropped into place, after which an out- Ward pull on the locking bar will cause the wedge to engage the horn 17. The pin 33 with the coil spring thereon is mounted with the spring engaging and pressing the bar outwardly and by turning the-,nut 35 so as to compress the spring, the locking bar will be moved outwardly to tighten the mallebling the device illustrated in Fig. 5 the switch tongue is first placed in position and the malleable wedge is then inserted through the inner wall of the box 23 and the pin is inserted in reverse position to that above described with its spring acting to force the locking bar inwardly. To remove the switch tongue it is only necessary to loosen the nut 35 and shift the pin 33 into the hole 38 until its squared end 36 clears the hole 37 and then remove the pin and spring, after which the wedge can be shifted to clear the switch tongue horn which leaves the tongue free to be removed from the switch body. If desired a cotter key 46 may be inserted through the top of the yoke to close the top of the slot 32 in the bar 45 to prevent the latter dropping out of engagement with the pin 33.

This invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiment switch tongue having a slot therein, a look-- ing chamber below said seat, a spring box opening into said chamber, a switch tongue having a depending forwardly inclined tongue adapted to project through said seat into said chamber, a transversely oblique front wall for said chamber, a locking wedge having a straight, downwardly facing rear wedging surface and a transversely oblique front wedging surface, said surfaces respectively adapted to engage the tongue horn and the oblique front wall of said chamber, a locking rod loosely connected to the looking wedge and projecting through said opening into said spring box and having its end upturned and slotted, a guide pin removably seated in said switch box and in the slotted end of the lock rod, and spring means adjustable on said pin for urging said lock rod and locking wedge into operating position, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a switch tongue body having a slotted seat and a box atone side which has an opening therefrom tothe space below said seat, a switch tongue having a rounded rear end mounted in said seat and having a depending horn adapted to project through said seat slot, a transversely movable locking wedge adapted to co-act with the switch body and tongue horn to force the horn rearwardly and downwardly,

an operating rod connected to the wedge and movable in said box and having its outer end upturned and slotted, a pin adapted to be inserted in said slot, means to removably seat said pin in the side walls of said box, a coil spring surrounding the pin and engaging said upturned end of the lock bar at one end, and an adjustable spring seat on the pin engaging the other end of the spring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT E. YULTON. Witness: NoMIE WELSH.

Copies of this patent may he obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

